Two prominent industry organizations have released their own resources for managing the COVID-19 outbreak on construction sites.

The Canadian Construction Association’s document, COVID-19 - Standardized Protocols for All Canadian Construction Sites, provides best practices and a consistent approach for employers and employees to follow in order to protect themselves and the public at large and help minimize the spread of the coronavirus so that work can be continued safely. Protocols described in the document include measures on prevention, detection, and rapid response based on information and recommendations from respected public health authorities.

The national association has been a strong advocate for keeping construction sites open during the pandemic, and is routinely communicating the importance of protecting worker health and well being. The new protocol document, which the CCA plans to update regularly, is the latest in a series of steps the association has taken during the COVID outbreak.

“Our position is that compliant sites should be open and those that cannot consistently comply with measures and guidelines of public health authorities should shut down,” said CCA president Mary Van Buren.

Meanwhile, the Labour-Management Network of Health and Safety Committees, a group within the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, has produced its own list of practices for managing COVID-19.

The document is a collection of resources, best practices and information links designed to help construction employers understand their rights and responsibilities while operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes resources and information on such subjects as official provincial government announcements, on-site best practices, and add additional safety resources and guides.

The network is made up of members of the Provincial Labour-Management Health and Safety Committee for construction, as well as 16 regional and 24 trade/sector labour-management committees.